PRINCETON, N.J. – Penn State won the EIVA Tournament for the 37th time in program history, taking down No. 19 Princeton 3-0 (25-20, 27-25, 25-19) in the championship match Saturday at Dillon Gymnasium. The Nittany Lions swept all three of their opponents in the tournament to improve to 14-15 and grab the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers, who won the regular season title and hosted the event as the top seed, closed the season at 15-11 overall.
Matthew Luoma led the offensive effort with 18 kills, while Ryan Merk anchored an outstanding defensive performance by Penn State with his 12 digs. The Nittany Lions held the Tigers to .159 hitting, which was well below their final season efficiency of .277.
Michael Schwob tallied 35 assists and led Penn State to .290 hitting. His bigger production came from the service line, where he recorded three aces for the fifth-consecutive match. His nine aces through three matches this week played a large role in his receiving the EIVA Tournament Most Outstanding Player award. Schwob was joined on the EIVA All-Tournament Team by Luoma, Merk, and Will Kuhns.
Gaige Gabriel contributed both offensively and defensively in the win, hitting .667 with eight kills while also leading the team in blocks with five. Kuhns finished with nine kills and three blocks, Carter Dittman contributed six kills and two blocks, and Owen Rose chipped in with two kills and two blocks. Rose helped Penn State get to the championship match with great numbers through the first two wins as he hit .733 with 2.00 kills/set and 1.67 blocks/set in sweeps over Harvard and NJIT.
Saturday marked Penn State’s first EIVA Tournament win at a location other than Rec Hall since securing the title at Rutgers-Newark in 1996.
Princeton was paced by Nyherowo Omene with 13 kills, three aces, and two blocks. He was joined on the All-Tournament Team by setter Henry Wedbush.
Set 1 Luoma hit .357 with seven kills to lead Penn State to a 25-20 win in the opening set. Schwob racked up 12 assists and recorded his first ace of the night. The Nittany Lions started to pull away early with a 4-0 run that put them up 8-4. Luoma was in on the first three points of the run with a pair of kills and a block alongside Kuhns and Gabriel. Schwob capped it with an ace. They went on to lead by as much as eight at 14-6 following a kill by Dittman, but Princeton was able to fight back and get as close as one at 16-15 after an ace by Wedbush. Penn State responded with a 4-0 run and never looked back. Set point was later scored on a kill by Luoma.
Set 2 Set two was much more closely contested with 13 ties and six lead changes before Penn State came through with the 27-25 win. Luoma again led the way with seven kills, while Schwob again tallied 12 assists. The largest lead by either team was three, which Princeton had at 10-7 after an ace by Wedbush and again at 11-8 with a kill by Omene. Penn State led by three at 18-15 following a kill by Gabriel. Penn State clawed its way to 24 first with a kill by Kuhns to make it 24-22. Princeton avoided two straight set points with a solo block by Owen Mellon and an attack error by the Nittany Lions. Schwob followed with a kill but Omene responded with another kill for the Tigers to knot the score at 25-all. A service error by the Tigers made it 26-25, and the Nittany Lions capitalized with a kill by Gabriel for set point.
Set 3 Gabriel, Luoma, and Kuhns contributed four kills apiece as Penn State hit .375 and rolled to a 25-19 win in the third set. Schwob added 11 more assists and two more aces. The Nittany Lions used a 6-0 run to go up 10-4 and led the rest of the way. The first four points of the run went in the order of Gabriel kill, Schwob ace, Gabriel kill, and another Schwob ace to force a Princeton timeout. The Nittany Lions came out of the timeout with two more points on kills by Gabriel and Luoma. Penn State went on to lead by as much as nine at 19-10 after a kill by Schwob. Match point was later scored on a kill by Luoma to secure the EIVA Championship for the Nittany Lions.
Up Next The NCAA Tournament selection show will air live on April 27 at 4 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.
Ball State vs. Trine University
Last Meeting: Ball State 3, Trine 0 (1/5/2025)
Series History: Ball State leads the series 2-0 Match History – Trine
These teams met for the first time in 2024 as the Cardinals swept the Thunder (25-16, 25-20, 25-19), holding them at a .077 hitting percentage. In 2025, Ball State completed a sweep once more (25-13, 25-13, 25-13) and held Trine to a .085 hitting percentage. Patrick Rogers led the effort that afternoon, leading the team in kills (10), aces (3) and blocks (2). Scouting Trine
Trine concluded the 2025 season 15-9 overall, including a record of 5-3 in the MCVL (Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League). The Thunder made it to the semifinals of the MCVL Tournament, falling 1-3 against eventual tournament champion Mount Union.
SETTING THE SCENE HEAD COACH IANDOLO: Mike Iandolo was officially named the Cardinals’ head coach on Dec. 16, removing the interim label he had held since last June. After joining Ball State as an assistant coach prior to the 2022 season, Iandolo helped the men’s program to a 23-4 record, MIVA regular season and tournament titles, and its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002, earning the No. 2 seed and a semifinal bye. Since 2022, Iandolo assisted the Cardinals to three 20-win seasons from 2022-24 and three MIVA regular season championships. His promotion ahead of the 2026 season marks the second head coaching role of his career, following a three-year stint at the University of Charleston (W.Va.).
NEW-LOOK COACHING STAFF: Head coach Iandolo is joined on the coaching staff by newly acquired assistant coaches Brian Hogg and Charles Norman who were announced to the program in August of 2025. Hogg comes to Ball State after earning two-straight IVA (Independent Volleyball Association) titles and IVA Coach of the Year honors as head coach at Lincoln Memorial from 2024-25, totaling a record of 45-6. Prior to Ball State, Norman helped the women’s team at Barry University to a 24-5 record in 2024 and led the men’s program during its inaugural season in 2025, ranking fourth in the nation in blocks.
NEW AND FAMILIAR FACES: The 2026 roster brings 11 well-known returners and seven exciting new additions. Ball State returners include team captains Griffin Satterfield, Wil Basilio, Patrick Rogers and Eyal Rawitz, as well as impactful standouts such as Lucas Machado, Ryan Louis, Braydon Savitski-Lynde, Will Patterson, Marty Canavan, Peter Zurawski and Jason Harris. Entering their first seasons with the program are freshmen Tyler Windt, Adir Ben Shloosh, Daniel Günther and Dante Cayaban as well as transfers Nicholas Everett, Jacob Surette, and 2023 national dig leader (3.56 per set) Victor Scherer.
2025 SEASON: The Cardinals finished 2025 with a record of 17-13 along with a 9-7 mark in conference play, ranking fifth in the MIVA. The men ranked third in the conference in blocks with 2.36 per set and points with 16.00 per set. The 2025 season saw Ball State record notable victories over ranked opponents, including #13 Stanford (3-0, Jan. 10), #14 Lewis (3-1, Feb. 13), #16 Ohio State (3-2, Feb. 27), #19 Penn State (3-2, March 15), and #10 McKendree (3-1, March 29). The season concluded as the Cardinals fell 3-2 to #4 Lewis in the MIVA Quarterfinals (April 19).
PRESEASON All-MIVA: Outside hitter Patrick Rogers and setter Lucas Machado earned 2026 Preseason All-MIVA honors, with Rogers leading conference voting to be named MIVA Preseason Player of the Year after recording a team-high 363 kills in his second season with the Cardinals while averaging 3.18 per set on a .271 hitting percentage, adding 65 total blocks and a team-leading 33 service aces. Following the 2025 season, Rogers was named All-MIVA first team and an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, then spent the offseason with the U.S. National Team, winning gold at the 2025 NORCECA Final Six and earning tournament MVP honors, as well as capturing silver with the Men’s U23 National Team at the 2025 NORCECA Men’s U23 Pan American Cup. Machado totaled a team-best 771 assists in 2025, averaging 8.38 per set, posted a career-high 54 assists against Purdue Fort Wayne on Feb. 26, reached 40 or more assists seven times, and added 117 digs, 49 total blocks and 22 service aces.
AVCA PRESEASON POLL: Ball State enters the 2026 season ranked #16 in the AVCA National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball Preseason Poll with a total of 144 points. The Cardinals will match up against seven other ranked opponents in the season, including #1 UCLA, #7 Loyola Chicago, #9 Stanford, #12 Lewis, #14 Ohio State, #15 McKendree, and #19 George Mason.
This volleyball skills program is geared towards providing a safe environment where young athletes can develop their skills in volleyball!
We will also work on the importance of sportsmanship and how to behave in a team environment. The goal of this program is to prepare our athletes to compete at the highest level all while making it affordable and creating the best experience for our participants.
Location: Biltmore Hills Date: Mondays and Wednesdays Time: 7:30 – 8:45 p.m. Ages: 10 – 14 Cost: $225 Monthly Fee / $30 Drop In Register on RecLink
PAPIO AND WESTSIDE FACE OFF IN THE NIGHTCAP. CREIGHTON VOLLEYBALL ADDS ITS THIRD HIGH PROFILE TRANSFER OF THE OFFSEASON. TRINITY SCHAD SERIES. SHE’S AN OUTSIDE HITTER FROM WISCONSIN. SHE’S FROM ONTARIO, CANADA, AND IS A STANDOUT TRACK ATHLETE AS WELL. HOW ABOUT THIS GUY? SHE PARTICIPATED IN THE OLYMPIC TRIALS FOR CANADA IN THE LONG JUMP IN 2014. BRIAN ROSSEN SAYS HER EXPLOSIVENESS, A BIG ASSET AND QUITE TRA
Creighton volleyball adds Wisconsin outside hitter to its roster
Updated: 6:30 PM CST Jan 2, 2026
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Creighton volleyball added an outside hitter from the transfer portal.Trinity Shadd-Ceres has joined the Bluejays after helping Wisconsin to the Final Four last season.Shadd-Ceres played in nine matches with Wisconsin, totaling 12 kills, six digs, four assists, and two blocks.Eight of the Ontario, Canada, native’s kills came during the NCAA Tournament.The 5-foot-11 outside hitter is Creighton’s third high-profile transfer, joining Ayden Ames from Texas and Katie Dalton from Kansas.”Everyone we have talked to about Trinity says she is the best teammate and hardest worker, so she is going to fit right in here at Creighton,” said Creighton head coach Brian Rosen. “She may also be the best overall athlete in any sport to come through! Trinity is so explosive off the floor, has a great arm, and ability to play six rotations. With experience in the Final Four this season, she can handle the big moments. With Angie’s training, there is no limit to her potential and we are all so excited to get her in the gym this spring!” The Bluejays finished the 2025 season with a 28-6 record with their 14th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, 12 consecutive Big East regular season title, sixth Big East Tournament title, and second straight Elite Eight.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
OMAHA, Neb. —
Creighton volleyball added an outside hitter from the transfer portal.
Trinity Shadd-Ceres has joined the Bluejays after helping Wisconsin to the Final Four last season.
Shadd-Ceres played in nine matches with Wisconsin, totaling 12 kills, six digs, four assists, and two blocks.
Eight of the Ontario, Canada, native’s kills came during the NCAA Tournament.
The 5-foot-11 outside hitter is Creighton’s third high-profile transfer, joining Ayden Ames from Texas and Katie Dalton from Kansas.
“Everyone we have talked to about Trinity says she is the best teammate and hardest worker, so she is going to fit right in here at Creighton,” said Creighton head coach Brian Rosen. “She may also be the best overall athlete in any sport to come through! Trinity is so explosive off the floor, has a great arm, and ability to play six rotations. With experience in the Final Four this season, she can handle the big moments. With Angie’s training, there is no limit to her potential and we are all so excited to get her in the gym this spring!”
The Bluejays finished the 2025 season with a 28-6 record with their 14th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, 12 consecutive Big East regular season title, sixth Big East Tournament title, and second straight Elite Eight.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
NORTHAMPTON — The Pioneer Valley Regional and Greenfield track and field teams faced off at Smith College in a Valley South matchup on Friday morning. The Green Wave boys delivered a 66-8 win over the Panthers. The Pioneer girls took a 46-41 win over Greenfield.
Pioneer’s Carter Berthiaume scored points for Pioneer and was first overall (5-8.0) in the high jump.
Mason Youmell grabbed a second place overall (8.33, PR) in the 55-hurdles for the Green Wave. Youmell took second overall (5-6.00) in the high jump as well. Youmell took the day off from the 600-meter event to participate in the relay. Shaving some seconds off his overall time in the 600-meter is a personal goal.
Mason Youmell of the Greenfield track and field team participates in a relay at Smith College, Friday in Northampton. Credit: RYAN AMES / Staff Photo
“I am really hoping to get 1:27 by the end of the season,” Youmell said. “That seems like a realistic goal. I’ve cut off seconds from all of my personal records. I’ve been doing better.”
In another personal best performance, Ryan Spofford placed second overall (2:57.35) in the 1000-meter.
Ryan Spofford of the Greenfield track and field team participates in the 1000-meter run at Smith College, Friday in Northampton. Credit: RYAN AMES / Staff Photo
For context, the overall winner (1:31.45) of the 600-meter event was Owen Platt of Amherst. Alex Scotera placed second overall (1:33.72) in the 600-meter for the Green Wave. The performance was a personal record for Scotera.
Dylan Breiwick placed fourth overall (3:05.23) in the 1000-meter for Greenfield. Breiwick also was fifth overall (5:07.87) in the mile for the Green Wave.
For the Pioneer girls, Harper Hake’s performances in distance events helped fuel the win over the Green Wave. In the mile, Hake scored and took seventh overall (6:29.79).
Harper Hake (left) of the Pioneer Valley Regional track and field team participates in the 600-meter run at Smith College, Friday in Northampton. Credit: ADAM HARGRAVES / Staff Photo
“I like where I am right now,” Hake said. “I am truing to get a sub six in the mile. I want to get a better time in the two mile too.”
To improve her time in distance events, Hake relies on good nutrition and does runs that are longer than her events. Hake was 10th overall (2:02.32) in the 600-meter. The performance was a personal record for the freshman. In the 2-mile, Hake placed third overall (14:30).
Kyra Tamsin led the charge for the Green Wave in the girls’ events. In the 55-hurdles, Tamsin took first overall (10.48, PR) for Greenfield. Tamsin set another personal record in the 300-meter, placing eighth overall (48.62.)
“My 300 and my 55 hurdles were good,” Tamsin said. “I want my numbers to improve. But as of right now they aren’t bad.”
Lucianne Burnap established a personal record in the 55-hurdles, finishing sixth overall (11.46) for the Panthers. In the field events, Gabby Warriner-Cardin scored points and placed eighth-overall (21-08.50) in the shot put for the Panthers.
Burnap and Addison Chapin both finished tied for fifth (4-4.0) in the high jump for Pioneer.
In the long jump, Holly Babineau scored points and placed eighth-overall (13-09.75) for the Green Wave.
Boys track & field
Athol 27, Commerce 23 — The Bears downed the Raiders in Valley South competition. Elijah Etienne scored points and placed tied for seventh (32-10.50) in the shot put for the Bears.
John Blanchard took 14th overall (2:02.36) in the 600-meter event.
Frontier 41, Mohawk 35 — Ezra Rich’s first place performance in the shot put helped the Redhawks get past the Warriors in Valley North play.
Luke Howard placed second (2:45.76) in the 1000-meter for the Redhawks.
Tanner Biagini placed first overall in the 300-meter for Mohawk. Biagini also scored and placed ninth (6.94) in the 55-meter for the Warriors. Rex Kuoppala placed fourth overall (5:02.19) in the mile.
Peter Healey (11:14.57, third) and Carson Richardson (11:34.70, fourth) impressed in the 2-mile for the Warriors.
Mahar 51, Southwick 22 — The Senators ran past the Rams in Valley North competition.
Danny Quigley was eighth overall (39.18) in the 300-meter for the Senators. Ronnie Stone scored points and placed 15th overall (4-10.0) in the high jump.
Girls track & field
Athol 52, Commerce 1 — In Valley South competition, the Bears cruised past the Raiders. Emily Abram snagged a personal record in the shot put, finishing sixth overall (22-3.25) for Athol.
Mahar 40, Southwick 22 — Stellina Moore helped the Senators to a win over the Rams in Valley North play.
Moore finished tied for fourth overall (14-03.5) in the long jump and tied for third (4-8.0) in the high jump. Moore added a third place finish (9.98) in the 55-hurdles.
Madilyn Moore scored in the shot put for the Senators, finishing seventh (25 feet) overall.
Frontier 78, Mohawk 13 —The Redhawks defeated the Warriors in Valley North competition.
Louise Flagollet placed third in the 300-meter for the Redhawks. Louise Flagollet also took second overall (4-10.0) in the high jump. Phoebe Radner was seventh overall (1:58.44) in the 600-meter. Liv Christensen placed (14:19.49) in the 2-mile for Frontier. Emmanuelle Flagollet took second (9.55) in the 55-hurdles and fourth in the long jump (14-03.50).
Virginia Krezmien scored some points and placed sixth overall (3:40.32) in the 1000-meter for Mohawk. In the mile, Krezmien placed second overall (6:05.67).
BATON ROUGE – LSU Beach Volleyball coach Russell Brock has announced the addition of two transfers – Emily Hellmuth and Zayna Meyer – who will join the Tigers for the upcoming season.
Hellmuth and Meyer come to LSU as grad transfers. The Tigers return 11 players from last year’s team. These two transfers join LSU in addition to six freshmen.
“Really excited about our two additions for this spring,” Brock said. “They are both athletic players with good size and great skills and are excited about the transition to beach. Both, are decorated indoor players who have been seasoned leaders for their teams. Their work ethic, positive attitudes and excitement will be fantastic additions to our culture and our team this year. Couldn’t be more excited to add them to our family.”
Hellmuth comes to LSU after a great four-year career playing indoor volleyball at Pepperdine and Texas A&M University. During her time playing indoor, she was a lethal outside hitter with over 1,000 career kills. Three of her four seasons she recorded at least 300 kills and during a match in her final season, she recorded a career high .667 hitting percentage. As a senior last year, Hellmuth helped lead the Aggies to the NCAA National Championship Title with 72 digs, 45 blocks, 12 aces and eight assists.
“Emily has been tested as a passer and has great skills as a blocker and hitter. Her offensive ability will transition really well to the sand. She’s faced the biggest challenges under the brightest lights and has excelled in those moments.”
Meyer is coming to LSU following a four-year career playing indoor volleyball in which she finished her final season at UCLA with a total of 187 assists, 62 digs and 11 blocks. During the 2023 season, Meyer was named Big West Setter of the Year while playing indoor at Long Beach State and averaged 10 assists per set.
“Zayna is quick and springy. As one of the elite offensive setters in the country, she brings excellent control of the ball both as a setter and a hitter. Her ability to play above the net will also be a great asset defensively.”
OMAHA, Neb. — Wisconsin outside hitter Trinity Shadd-Ceres has signed to join the Creighton Volleyball program later this month. Shadd-Ceres is Creighton’s third high-profile transfer this winter, joining Ayden Ames (Texas) and Katie Dalton (Kansas).
“Everyone we have talked to about Trinity says she is the best teammate and hardest worker, so she is going to fit right in here at Creighton,” said Creighton head coach Brian Rosen. “She may also be the best overall athlete in any sport to come through! Trinity is so explosive off the floor, has a great arm, and ability to play six rotations. With experience in the Final Four this season, she can handle the big moments. With Angie’s training, there is no limit to her potential and we are all so excited to get her in the gym this spring!”
Shadd-Ceres played in nine matches for Wisconsin’s Final Four team in 2025, finishing the season with 12 kills, six digs, four assists and two blocks. Eight of her 12 kills came during the NCAA Tournament, including four kills in the First Round vs. Eastern Illinois on Dec. 4th and three more in a Regional Final win at Texas on Dec. 14th.
That came after Shadd-Ceres played in four matches as a freshman in 2024, starting two. She finished her rookie campaign with 10 kills, seven digs and three blocks in four matches played. Among her teammates in 2024 was current Bluejay defensive specialist Saige Damrow.
The 5-foot-11 native of Ontario, Canada, was named the Senior Female Volleyball Athlete of the Year in 2023 and a member of Team Canada’s U19 Women’s National Team. She was also a track standout before enrolling at Wisconsin, as she was named Junior Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year in 2022 and Senior Female Athlete of the Year in 2023. She also partcipated in Canada’s Olympic Trials in the Long Jump in 2024.
Creighton finished the 2025 season with a 28-6 record, appearing in its 14th straight NCAA Tournament, winning its 12th consecutive BIG EAST regular-season title, earning sixth BIG EAST Tournament title in a row and reaching its second straight Elite Eight.
